So Yesterday I took my kids to the Astoria Aquatic Center for some fun since the weather here has been so oober crappy. What my kids really want to do is to go ride there new bicycles, but since we live on a steep ass hill and again the weather we haven't really got much of a chance to do that.
Here's what happened at the Pool. The rules are, for the big monster slide, that the child must know how to swim (because the current at the bottom of the slide is strong) and you must go down alone, no doubling up on riders down the slide.
My darling daughter has been quickly learning how to swim on her own, 'cause she wants to ride on the slide and there are children much smaller that her going on it. I want this too because until she learns to swim I have to be within arms length of her. If she knows how, she can ride the slide...all day...and I...ahhhhhhhh...can sit in the hot tub...where children under 14 are not allowed (yeah!)
Well she finally mastered the art of swimming, I almost cried in the hot tub. I can sit in there and watch her slide down the slide till her hearts content, It just so happens that the little pool that the slide shoots into is right in front of the hot tub so it literally spits her out at my feet.
It was a wonderful time for the most part, not to overly crowded but here's the rant.
Are ya ready? What the holy hell is up with uppity woman? You know the ones. Who curl their hair, spray on masses of amounts of hairspray and perfume, put on their makeup (?) and then go to the pool. They then get into said pool with the 100 or so children in there (uh, it's spring break) and flinch and wince like little prises when the kids splash around them. Better yet, the watch from outside the window ladies, the ones who ignore the sign that says "No street shoes beyond this point" who march right past the sign in their street shoes to go yell at their kids and take pictures while saying "Where's your sister" and then ignoring the answer. This woman was 25 feet from me and I was sitting in a chlorine saturated hot tub and I could smell her perfume.
Now don't get me wrong people, I wear a little makeup from time to time, I own a bottle of perfume or two, I will even purchase hairspray if the occasion arises but why would I waste my time doing all that work to myself just to go splash around in a big pool of makeup remover.
Oh and if you don't already know this let me let you in on a little secret...chlorine and some perfumes have a bad chemical reaction when they come in contact, it makes the perfume smell just like rancid urine, pleasant huh! The ladies that do this to themselves can't smell it, I know they can't 'cause no one would do it twice if they could.
Or the Mom's with the toddlers who read NO SIGNS WHAT SO EVER! They let there small children get into the hot tub that clearly states that it's for health reasons they don't let them in there. They leave their small children alone in the pool attended only by a life vest , they say nothing to their children about rules or behavior and they let the life guards watch their kids for them. They CANNOT understand why A) their toddler cannot wear a life jacket down the 105 foot water slide or B) the child cannot sit on their lap whilst they slide down the slide together. They don't even say anything to them when they run on the wet concrete pool side endangering themselves and anyone close to them ( pst hey, if your kid bleeds we all go home!)
So I ask, Are Mom's (some not all don't shoot me) just to shy to say anything to their own kids in front of strangers? Do they think that life guards are really just babysitters? 'cause I would hate to see some kid drowned because the guards are watching a toddler float around in a life jacket alone. Or do they think that it's not their job or responsibility to inform their kids about rules a public safety? To let them know they are not the only people around, that sometimes they must think of others as well? I don't know, it's things I think about. I tell my kids these things all the time. Whenever where ever, if I think they need to know I tell them. I don't expect/wait for some stranger to do it for me.
Anyway, that said...how was your friday?
Anyone else have a week from hell disguised as Spring Break?
